Maintenance Yard COVID etiquette?
211 views
Skip to first unread message
Haninah Levine
Apr 5, 2020, 11:07:03 AM4/5/20
to Maryland & DC Birding
Hi all,
May is still a ways off, but I think it’s not too early for DC birders to start talking about the RCP Maintenance Yard, and what we will do when peak migration hits. The marvelous thing about the Maintenance Yard it is that it is not only a prime birding site, but also a community gathering place. This year, obviously, that’s something that has to change.
The Maintenance Yard is also relatively accessible to birders with limited mobility. Therefore, I suggest that this year, able-bodies birders (including myself) should try to scope out alternative, less-accessible sites, and leave the Maintenance Yard to those who need it. I know that I will miss the usual crowd, but I hope that in future years, we will all be able to come together again.
All the best,
Haninah
David Mozurkewich
Apr 5, 2020, 12:24:19 PM4/5/20
to Maryland & DC Birding
I have a better idea --- EVERYBODY stay home. Don't risk the lives of
you and your friends and their friends by cheating.
Currently, unnecessary travel is banned in this area. Birding is not
necessary. Don't break the law because if you do, you are threatening
my life as well as your own.
If you really need your birding fix, work on your yard list.
David Mozurkewich
Haninah Levine
Apr 5, 2020, 12:42:28 PM4/5/20
to moz...@verizon.net, Maryland & DC Birding
Outdoor exercising is expressly permitted in all area jurisdictions. Obviously, everyone should follow all applicable orders and recommendations.
--
-- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Group 'Maryland & DC Birding'.
To view group guidelines or change email preferences, visit this group on the web at http://www.mdbirding.com
Unfamiliar with a hotspot mentioned on this list? Quickly locate it here - http://www.mdbirding.com/hotspot.html
---
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Maryland & DC Birding" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to mdbirding+...@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/mdbirding/20200405123413.72d59cf1%40verizon.net.
Hugh David Fleischmann
Apr 5, 2020, 3:05:06 PM4/5/20
to Haninah Levine, moz...@verizon.net, Maryland & DC Birding
Please view. Should be Gospel for everyone. I apologize for the curse words but the point needs to be made to everyone in America.
https://youtu.be/XvB9ftAHpwc
On Apr 5, 2020, at 12:42 PM, Haninah Levine <han...@gmail.com> wrote:
To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/mdbirding/CAMNQgs6A8osguqL97-Bq%3D8atG%3Daafn1pidrfur2ibV334Zpepg%40mail.gmail.com.
David Mozurkewich
Apr 5, 2020, 7:23:19 PM4/5/20
to Maryland & DC Birding
Not surprisingly, I received a number of replies to my suggestion that
we restrict ourselves to backyard birding. Hugh seems to be the only
one who agrees with me (thank you, Hugh) so it seems I need to expand on
this.
Yes, exercise is listed as essential but I hardly count birding as
exercise. And even if you do, it should be restricted to the minimum
amount possible. Even for grocery shopping, the recommendation is to
avoid shopping trips for non-essential items. Yes, stopping at the
local mini-mart every morning for a coffee and pastry is allowed by the
letter of the law but is in violation of its spirit. Don't do it.
The same may hold for birding excursions.
This is important.
The way social distancing works is by dividing society into a number
of ISOLATED small groups. For groups, think family. By doing this
you limit interactions between groups but INCREASE interactions within
a group. To stay safe, you need to keep the virus out of your group
because as soon as it gets in everyone in that group is at elevated
risk. For social isolation to work, the isolation between groups has
to be AS SMALL AS possible.
You can say all you want about keeping a "safe" distance between
birders but how do you pull that off in practice? With ten people at
the rock creek picnic area, we might start off keeping safe distances,
but we're concentrating the birds, not where the other birders are.
When I see activity in a tree I start moving in that direction. I
suspect everyone else does too. When we realize we're too close
together, we can back off but by then it's too late.
And what happens when I see a Fieldfare lurking in the shadows? If I
say something, it will take about two seconds for everyone within
earshot to be just inches behind me trying to see where I'm looking.
Or I can remain quiet enjoying the view. But if no one else sees it
and they find out what I did, I become a pariah for the rest of
eternity. Isolation between birders in a group simply will not work.
Remember, for social isolation to work you need isolation. Break that
isolation just a little and you've wasted all the effort you put into
it.
So it all boils down to a choice
You can be a responsible citizen of this great nation and give up
birding ANYWHERE you expect to see another birder. It's only for a
year.
OR
You can violate the spirit of the law and put your own self-interest
ahead of what's good for society.
It's your choice,
David Mozurkewich
Jim Moore
Apr 5, 2020, 7:56:59 PM4/5/20
to mdbi...@googlegroups.com
In my opinion, the goal should be contactless birding/hiking--no ride
sharing and not within 6 feet of any other person other than family, and
if you travel, no stops for food or use of public or gas station
restrooms. Birding/hiking by yourself is preferable. The extent to
which this can be done in a contactless way will vary with the
individual--if you can't do it, then stick to the backyard. But you
don't have to limit yourself to backyard birding if you can go
contactless. Merely traveling in your car creates zero risk of
transmission of anything, and the same goes for hiking alone in the
woods--no matter how long you do it.
Jim Moore
Rockville
sharing and not within 6 feet of any other person other than family, and
if you travel, no stops for food or use of public or gas station
restrooms. Birding/hiking by yourself is preferable. The extent to
which this can be done in a contactless way will vary with the
individual--if you can't do it, then stick to the backyard. But you
don't have to limit yourself to backyard birding if you can go
contactless. Merely traveling in your car creates zero risk of
transmission of anything, and the same goes for hiking alone in the
woods--no matter how long you do it.
Jim Moore
Rockville
Georgia McDonald
Apr 5, 2020, 8:07:25 PM4/5/20
to Jim Moore, Maryland & DC Birding
That has been our approach, hiking trails in our Atlas blocks where maybe we encounter one other person.
To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/mdbirding/a8c6c7a5-9f3b-3e7d-dfb0-edcd24699a8a%40gmail.com.
Marcia Watson
Apr 5, 2020, 8:35:13 PM4/5/20
to moz...@verizon.net, Maryland & DC Birding
Dave,
I don’t disagree with anything you say. I would just add that I learned from my work colleagues who live in the city that for many who live in DC apartments and condos and townhomes, Rock Creek Park <is> their backyard. Or other local parks serve that function. I think that if birders can spread out and not congregate, that is the key.
On second thought, I do disagree with one thing you said. Under normal circumstances, I try to walk 5 miles or more when out birding (though not these days), and I aim for hills whenever I can. I consider that to be exercise! :))
Marcia
------------
Marcia Watson
Patuxent Bird Club
Maryland Ornithological Society
Friends of Patuxent
Bowie, Maryland
On Apr 5, 2020, at 7:23 PM, 'David Mozurkewich' via Maryland & DC Birding <mdbi...@googlegroups.com> wrote:
To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/mdbirding/20200405193316.7ce79cac%40verizon.net.
Gail Mackiernan
Apr 5, 2020, 9:26:40 PM4/5/20
to Georgia McDonald, Jim Moore, Maryland & DC Birding
Ditto, we saw about 50x as many people in a half hour today in our hasty trip to the supermarket than in our last week of birding (all on rather remote trails in our atlas blocks).
But I agree that congregating at birding sites has to be avoided.
Gail Mackiernan
Colesville
Sent from my iPad
To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/mdbirding/CACOx63x5%3D-ZNbwOg5EBZyPBSu-79su7cWC8ymk8QvR9Ry1Pgug%40mail.gmail.com.
Russ Ruffing
Apr 5, 2020, 10:15:48 PM4/5/20
to Maryland & DC Birding
I suggest it’s about time we dispense with the public service announcements and keep this forum focused on birding.
Sent from my iPhone
To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/mdbirding/42C3DAF9-F31E-43CA-8BBC-622AEC84032C%40comcast.net.
jovet
Apr 5, 2020, 11:42:15 PM4/5/20
to mdbi...@googlegroups.com
The idea that merely traveling in the car creates zero risk of transmission of anything is not correct. Viral material CAN be on feet, and on the vehicle, especially the tires, and carried by that route to new routes. Which is one reason why staying close to home is very much the wisest course of action.
To date, have not heard public health officials discuss in any depth that fomites (inanimate objects that provide 'rides' for viruses) are a major or even very significant source of transmission for COVID-19. They are focusing on aerosol, person-to-person transmission.
That does not necessarily mean that we cannot catch COVID-19 via fomites. We're told to wipe down our mail and contact surfaces, so it's clear that the virus CAN be transmitted by fomite.
Having worked in a kennel with immune-suppressed dogs, I can say for sure that transmission by fomite was an issue in that population with a coronavirus A type. That coronavirus causes very mild disease in dogs, but it was very difficult to eliminate in the kennel. That experience, along with the relatively long life of COVID-19 on surfaces such as metals, means that it is wise to be aware that transmission via vehicle is NOT at all a zero risk. (as an aside, there is a successful coronavirus vaccine for dogs, so it stands to reason a vaccine for COVID-19 should be possible as well).
When I worked in large animal medicine, we would disinfect going into a premise and leaving a premise. Leaving a diseased premise, we would also spray tires because pathogens - virus and bacteria - do travel by car.
We are naive if we think that there is NO risk of spreading virus when we drive from one area to another. Again - it may be a low risk. But it's not zero. Be aware.
Bird local for now. There's so much to be discovered at home.
Joanne
Joanne Howl, DVM
West River, MD
To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/mdbirding/F46CE1D9-72AE-4754-BB40-93A124C575FB%40comcast.net.
Jim Moore
Apr 6, 2020, 2:52:27 AM4/6/20
to mdbi...@googlegroups.com
If this were an academic forum, your point would be well taken. But
since it is not and we are talking about practical risks, I don't think
raising the theoretical possibility of transmission by car surfaces by
birders is meaningful in this context. I simply refuse to believe
absent actual evidence (as opposed to speculation) that there is any
real risk of a birder transmitting the virus to another person from his
car while hurtling down the highway or merely parking at a natural
reserve--unless there is some cult out there that I'm not aware of that
makes a practice of fondling other people's cars.
Jim Moore
Rockville
>> <han...@gmail.com <mailto:han...@gmail.com>>
>> <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/mdbirding/CACOx63x5%3D-ZNbwOg5EBZyPBSu-79su7cWC8ymk8QvR9Ry1Pgug%40mail.gmail.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer>.
> <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/mdbirding/F46CE1D9-72AE-4754-BB40-93A124C575FB%40comcast.net?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer>.
> <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/mdbirding/1644959440.1131630.1586144529574%40mail.yahoo.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer>.
since it is not and we are talking about practical risks, I don't think
raising the theoretical possibility of transmission by car surfaces by
birders is meaningful in this context. I simply refuse to believe
absent actual evidence (as opposed to speculation) that there is any
real risk of a birder transmitting the virus to another person from his
car while hurtling down the highway or merely parking at a natural
reserve--unless there is some cult out there that I'm not aware of that
makes a practice of fondling other people's cars.
Jim Moore
Rockville
>> >>> wrote:
>> >>>
>> >>>
>> >>> Outdoor exercising is expressly permitted in all area
>> >>> jurisdictions. Obviously, everyone should follow all applicable
>> >>> orders and recommendations.
>> >>>> On Sun, Apr 5, 2020 at 12:24 PM 'David Mozurkewich' via
>> Maryland &
>> >>>> DC Birding <mdbi...@googlegroups.com
>> >>>
>> >>>
>> >>> Outdoor exercising is expressly permitted in all area
>> >>> jurisdictions. Obviously, everyone should follow all applicable
>> >>> orders and recommendations.
>> >>>> On Sun, Apr 5, 2020 at 12:24 PM 'David Mozurkewich' via
>> Maryland &
>> >>>> DC Birding <mdbi...@googlegroups.com
>> <mailto:mdbi...@googlegroups.com>> wrote:
>> >>>>
>> >>>> I have a better idea --- EVERYBODY stay home. Don't risk the
>> >>>> lives of you and your friends and their friends by cheating.
>> >>>>
>> >>>> Currently, unnecessary travel is banned in this area.
>> Birding is
>> >>>> not necessary. Don't break the law because if you do, you are
>> >>>> threatening my life as well as your own.
>> >>>>
>> >>>> If you really need your birding fix, work on your yard list.
>> >>>>
>> >>>>
>> >>>> David Mozurkewich
>> >>>>
>> >>>>
>> >>>>
>> >>>> On Sun, 5 Apr 2020 11:06:49 -0400
>> >>>> Haninah Levine <han...@gmail.com
>> >>>>
>> >>>> I have a better idea --- EVERYBODY stay home. Don't risk the
>> >>>> lives of you and your friends and their friends by cheating.
>> >>>>
>> >>>> Currently, unnecessary travel is banned in this area.
>> Birding is
>> >>>> not necessary. Don't break the law because if you do, you are
>> >>>> threatening my life as well as your own.
>> >>>>
>> >>>> If you really need your birding fix, work on your yard list.
>> >>>>
>> >>>>
>> >>>> David Mozurkewich
>> >>>>
>> >>>>
>> >>>>
>> >>>> On Sun, 5 Apr 2020 11:06:49 -0400
>> >>>> Haninah Levine <han...@gmail.com
>> <mailto:han...@gmail.com>> wrote:
>> >>>>
>> >>>>> Hi all,
>> >>>>>
>> >>>>> May is still a ways off, but I think it’s not too early for DC
>> >>>>> birders to start talking about the RCP Maintenance Yard, and
>> >>>>> what we will do when peak migration hits. The marvelous thing
>> >>>>> about the Maintenance Yard it is that it is not only a prime
>> >>>>> birding site, but also a community gathering place. This year,
>> >>>>> obviously, that’s something that has to change.
>> >>>>>
>> >>>>> The Maintenance Yard is also relatively accessible to birders
>> >>>>> with limited mobility. Therefore, I suggest that this year,
>> >>>>> able-bodies birders (including myself) should try to scope out
>> >>>>> alternative, less-accessible sites, and leave the Maintenance
>> >>>>> Yard to those who need it. I know that I will miss the usual
>> >>>>> crowd, but I hope that in future years, we will all be able to
>> >>>>> come together again.
>> >>>>>
>> >>>>> All the best,
>> >>>>>
>> >>>>> Haninah
>> >>>>>
>> >>>> --
>> >>>> -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the
>> >>>> Google Group 'Maryland & DC Birding'. To view group
>> guidelines or
>> >>>> change email preferences, visit this group on the web at
>> >>>> http://www.mdbirding.com <http://www.mdbirding.com/>
>> >>>>
>> >>>>> Hi all,
>> >>>>>
>> >>>>> May is still a ways off, but I think it’s not too early for DC
>> >>>>> birders to start talking about the RCP Maintenance Yard, and
>> >>>>> what we will do when peak migration hits. The marvelous thing
>> >>>>> about the Maintenance Yard it is that it is not only a prime
>> >>>>> birding site, but also a community gathering place. This year,
>> >>>>> obviously, that’s something that has to change.
>> >>>>>
>> >>>>> The Maintenance Yard is also relatively accessible to birders
>> >>>>> with limited mobility. Therefore, I suggest that this year,
>> >>>>> able-bodies birders (including myself) should try to scope out
>> >>>>> alternative, less-accessible sites, and leave the Maintenance
>> >>>>> Yard to those who need it. I know that I will miss the usual
>> >>>>> crowd, but I hope that in future years, we will all be able to
>> >>>>> come together again.
>> >>>>>
>> >>>>> All the best,
>> >>>>>
>> >>>>> Haninah
>> >>>>>
>> >>>> --
>> >>>> -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the
>> >>>> Google Group 'Maryland & DC Birding'. To view group
>> guidelines or
>> >>>> change email preferences, visit this group on the web at
>> Unfamiliar with a hotspot mentioned on
>> >>>> this list? Quickly locate it here -
>> >>>> http://www.mdbirding.com/hotspot.html --- You received this
>> >>>> message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups
>> "Maryland
>> >>>> & DC Birding" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop
>> >>>> receiving emails from it, send an email to
>> >>>> mdbirding+...@googlegroups.com
>> <mailto:mdbirding%2Bunsu...@googlegroups.com>. To view this
>> >>>> this list? Quickly locate it here -
>> >>>> http://www.mdbirding.com/hotspot.html --- You received this
>> >>>> message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups
>> "Maryland
>> >>>> & DC Birding" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop
>> >>>> receiving emails from it, send an email to
>> >>>> mdbirding+...@googlegroups.com
>> discussion on
>> >>>> the web visit
>> >>>>
>> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/mdbirding/20200405123413.72d59cf1%40verizon.net.
>> >>> --
>> >>> -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the
>> >>> Google Group 'Maryland & DC Birding'. To view group guidelines or
>> >>> change email preferences, visit this group on the web at
>> >>> http://www.mdbirding.com <http://www.mdbirding.com/>
>> >>>> the web visit
>> >>>>
>> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/mdbirding/20200405123413.72d59cf1%40verizon.net.
>> >>> --
>> >>> -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the
>> >>> Google Group 'Maryland & DC Birding'. To view group guidelines or
>> >>> change email preferences, visit this group on the web at
>> Unfamiliar with a hotspot mentioned on
>> >>> this list? Quickly locate it here -
>> >>> http://www.mdbirding.com/hotspot.html --- You received this
>> message
>> >>> because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Maryland & DC
>> >>> Birding" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving
>> >>> emails from it, send an email to
>> >>> mdbirding+...@googlegroups.com
>> <mailto:mdbirding%2Bunsu...@googlegroups.com>. To view this
>> >>> this list? Quickly locate it here -
>> >>> http://www.mdbirding.com/hotspot.html --- You received this
>> message
>> >>> because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Maryland & DC
>> >>> Birding" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving
>> >>> emails from it, send an email to
>> >>> mdbirding+...@googlegroups.com
>> discussion on
>> >>> the web visit
>> >>>
>> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/mdbirding/CAMNQgs6A8osguqL97-Bq%3D8atG%3Daafn1pidrfur2ibV334Zpepg%40mail.gmail.com.
>>
>> --
>> -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the
>> Google Group 'Maryland & DC Birding'.
>> To view group guidelines or change email preferences, visit this
>> group on the web at http://www.mdbirding.com
>> <http://www.mdbirding.com/>
>> >>> the web visit
>> >>>
>> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/mdbirding/CAMNQgs6A8osguqL97-Bq%3D8atG%3Daafn1pidrfur2ibV334Zpepg%40mail.gmail.com.
>>
>> --
>> -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the
>> Google Group 'Maryland & DC Birding'.
>> To view group guidelines or change email preferences, visit this
>> group on the web at http://www.mdbirding.com
>> Unfamiliar with a hotspot mentioned on this list? Quickly locate
>> it here - http://www.mdbirding.com/hotspot.html
>> ---
>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the
>> Google Groups "Maryland & DC Birding" group.
>> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it,
>> send an email to mdbirding+...@googlegroups.com
>> <mailto:mdbirding%2Bunsu...@googlegroups.com>.
>> it here - http://www.mdbirding.com/hotspot.html
>> ---
>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the
>> Google Groups "Maryland & DC Birding" group.
>> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it,
>> send an email to mdbirding+...@googlegroups.com
>> To view this discussion on the web visit
>> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/mdbirding/a8c6c7a5-9f3b-3e7d-dfb0-edcd24699a8a%40gmail.com.
>>
>> --
>> -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google
>> Group 'Maryland & DC Birding'.
>> To view group guidelines or change email preferences, visit this
>> group on the web at http://www.mdbirding.com <http://www.mdbirding.com/>
>> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/mdbirding/a8c6c7a5-9f3b-3e7d-dfb0-edcd24699a8a%40gmail.com.
>>
>> --
>> -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google
>> Group 'Maryland & DC Birding'.
>> To view group guidelines or change email preferences, visit this
>> Unfamiliar with a hotspot mentioned on this list? Quickly locate it
>> here - http://www.mdbirding.com/hotspot.html
>> ---
>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google
>> Groups "Maryland & DC Birding" group.
>> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it,
>> send an email to mdbirding+...@googlegroups.com
>> <mailto:mdbirding+...@googlegroups.com>.
>> here - http://www.mdbirding.com/hotspot.html
>> ---
>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google
>> Groups "Maryland & DC Birding" group.
>> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it,
>> send an email to mdbirding+...@googlegroups.com
>> To view this discussion on the web visit
>> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/mdbirding/CACOx63x5%3D-ZNbwOg5EBZyPBSu-79su7cWC8ymk8QvR9Ry1Pgug%40mail.gmail.com
>> <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/mdbirding/CACOx63x5%3D-ZNbwOg5EBZyPBSu-79su7cWC8ymk8QvR9Ry1Pgug%40mail.gmail.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer>.
> --
> -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google
> Group 'Maryland & DC Birding'.
> To view group guidelines or change email preferences, visit this group
> on the web at http://www.mdbirding.com <http://www.mdbirding.com/>
> -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google
> Group 'Maryland & DC Birding'.
> To view group guidelines or change email preferences, visit this group
> Unfamiliar with a hotspot mentioned on this list? Quickly locate it
> here - http://www.mdbirding.com/hotspot.html
> ---
> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google
> Groups "Maryland & DC Birding" group.
> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send
> an email to mdbirding+...@googlegroups.com
> <mailto:mdbirding+...@googlegroups.com>.
> here - http://www.mdbirding.com/hotspot.html
> ---
> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google
> Groups "Maryland & DC Birding" group.
> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send
> an email to mdbirding+...@googlegroups.com
> To view this discussion on the web visit
> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/mdbirding/F46CE1D9-72AE-4754-BB40-93A124C575FB%40comcast.net
> <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/mdbirding/F46CE1D9-72AE-4754-BB40-93A124C575FB%40comcast.net?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer>.
> --
> -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google
> Group 'Maryland & DC Birding'.
> To view group guidelines or change email preferences, visit this group
> on the web at http://www.mdbirding.com
> Unfamiliar with a hotspot mentioned on this list? Quickly locate it
> here - http://www.mdbirding.com/hotspot.html
> ---
> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google
> Groups "Maryland & DC Birding" group.
> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send
> an email to mdbirding+...@googlegroups.com
> <mailto:mdbirding+...@googlegroups.com>.
> -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google
> Group 'Maryland & DC Birding'.
> To view group guidelines or change email preferences, visit this group
> on the web at http://www.mdbirding.com
> Unfamiliar with a hotspot mentioned on this list? Quickly locate it
> here - http://www.mdbirding.com/hotspot.html
> ---
> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google
> Groups "Maryland & DC Birding" group.
> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send
> an email to mdbirding+...@googlegroups.com
> To view this discussion on the web visit
> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/mdbirding/1644959440.1131630.1586144529574%40mail.yahoo.com
> <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/mdbirding/1644959440.1131630.1586144529574%40mail.yahoo.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer>.
guine...@aol.com
Apr 6, 2020, 9:01:29 AM4/6/20
to mdbi...@googlegroups.com, jo...@aol.com
Thanks Joanne, for an informed and helpful post.
The subject identifies itself and anyone not interested may easily delete before opening..
Gail Frantz
Balto County
The idea that merely traveling in the car creates zero risk of transmission of anything is not correct. Viral material CAN be on feet, and on the vehicle, especially the tires, and carried by that route to new routes. Which is one reason why staying close to home is very much the wisest course of action...
Marcia Watson
Apr 6, 2020, 11:07:04 AM4/6/20
to 'jovet' via Maryland & DC Birding
Joanne,
Thanks for the information. I was not familiar with the term “fomite.”
I’ve been following the virus situation in Japan because my son and his wife live there. Japan had their first case months before the US, but the virus, until last week, has been slow to spread. I have been pondering what could account for the difference between Tokyo and New York in the virus trajectory. One thing that occurred to me early on is that Japanese people do not wear their outdoor shoes into their homes of workplaces. This concept of fomite transmission lends some plausibility to that idea, I think.
PS: I don’t know if you heard, but on the news last night, they reported that a tiger at the Bronx Zoo has tested positive for Covid-19, and that a number of tigers and lions there are sick. It wasn’t clear if they have confirmed if they all have the virus.
Marcia
------------
Marcia Watson
Patuxent Bird Club
Maryland Ornithological Society
Friends of Patuxent
Bowie, Maryland
On Apr 5, 2020, at 11:42 PM, 'jovet' via Maryland & DC Birding <mdbi...@googlegroups.com> wrote:
Marcia Watson
Apr 6, 2020, 11:09:15 AM4/6/20
to Marcia Watson, 'jovet' via Maryland & DC Birding
Sorry, this was meant to be a private reply to Joanne.
Marcia
------------
Marcia Watson
Patuxent Bird Club
Maryland Ornithological Society
Friends of Patuxent
Bowie, Maryland
On Apr 6, 2020, at 11:07 AM, Marcia Watson <Marsh...@comcast.net> wrote:
Joanne,
--
-- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Group 'Maryland & DC Birding'.
To view group guidelines or change email preferences, visit this group on the web at http://www.mdbirding.com
Unfamiliar with a hotspot mentioned on this list? Quickly locate it here - http://www.mdbirding.com/hotspot.html
---
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Maryland & DC Birding" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to mdbirding+...@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/mdbirding/AF127B39-5943-4A31-A202-C12275D21F9A%40comcast.net.
Rick Borchelt
Apr 6, 2020, 11:28:30 AM4/6/20
to Marcia Watson, 'jovet' via Maryland & DC Birding
I think the consensus is that the Japanese habit of not shaking hands and the general commitment to personal hygiene drilled into Japanese kids from a very young age were most responsible for slowing the spread.
As someone who was very active in the struggle against the HIV/AIDS epidemic from the very start (which as of 2016, approximately 658,507 people in the United States with an AIDS diagnosis had died overall; many more died of other causes without a diagnosis to avoid family embarrassment or cause of death was attributed to a comorbidity), there really is no "guarantee" of avoiding infection unless you live in a negative pressurized bubble. In counseling young people during the days before effective AIDS therapies, we quickly ditched the term "safe sex" in favor of "safer sex" -- sure, there were some ways to be intimate that were very low risk for infection, but nothing was zero risk. It's a lesson to take to heart now -- for yourselves and others, practice the safest social isolation you can, knowing that there's a lot about Covid-19 we still don't understand and that there is a certain amount of personal responsibility required to reduce your personal risk.
Here in the MD 'burbs around College Park there remain many opportunities to bird, to witness the annual reset of the warbler clock, and to get exercise. No, I'm not comfortable twitching regional rarities at this time. No, I'm not interested in social birding -- but then again, I have always been a mostly solo birder to begin with. But it helps to recognize that few people are out and about during the morning chorus, even in heavily trafficked areas, and that night migration is still pretty easily monitored without traveling or attracting a fan club 😇
I have also found that this is an ideal time to help your neighbors enjoy the birds they are seeing. I post an interesting little snippet about new birds in the 'hood (wood ducks checking out an old oak tree down by the park) or behaviors to watch for (mourning dove "sailing" flights) or nest activity (Carolina wrens under the porch) 2-3 times a week. They are universally well received. I hope some of this awareness persists after our travel restrictions are eased.
--
-- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Group 'Maryland & DC Birding'.
To view group guidelines or change email preferences, visit this group on the web at http://www.mdbirding.com
Unfamiliar with a hotspot mentioned on this list? Quickly locate it here - http://www.mdbirding.com/hotspot.html
---
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Maryland & DC Birding" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to mdbirding+...@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/mdbirding/AF127B39-5943-4A31-A202-C12275D21F9A%40comcast.net.
--
Rick Borchelt
College Park, MD
preferred personal email: rborchelt |AT| gmail |DOT| com
http://leplog.wordpress.com
College Park, MD
preferred personal email: rborchelt |AT| gmail |DOT| com
http://leplog.wordpress.com
Steve Long
Apr 6, 2020, 2:52:14 PM4/6/20
to mdbi...@googlegroups.com
I have been informally following the COVID-19 pandemic for months, along
with an international group of risk assessment professionals who discuss
things like this on an Internet list maintained by one of our national
laboratories, so there is something that I would like everybody to
understand: we actually know very little about how this particular virus
CAN be / IS being transmitted.
Worse, a lot of "wishful thinking" has been published as if it were
scientific conclusions, usually with the (non-)support of statements
like "There is no scientific evidence that people who are not showing
symptoms can infect others." The problem with statements like that is
that there was no scientific evidence to the contrary, either. Worse,
there IS scientific evidence that people can transmit some OTHER viruses
without showing symptoms. So, such "scientific" pronouncements are often
really political propaganda to justify continuing some activity that
somebody (government, corporation, selfish individual) wants to do.
And, now we are seeing many of those pronouncements getting reversed,
because we are learning that they are wrong THE HARD WAY.
So, I urge everybody reading this to please not just grab some unproven
"factoid" and use that as a justification for continuing to do whatever
you want to do. I am seeing people coming from New Jersey, across
Delaware, to walk in the woods near me in Maryland. Others are making
the news by going from New Jersey to Virginia just to play golf. People
who are defying "recommendations" are causing our various governments to
change them to "orders", and many people are continuing to defy those,
as well. My neighbor ended up calling the sheriff to get rid of some NJ
people who came here to play TWICE in 3 days. There is no reason to be
confident that people who are defying "stay at home" orders from THREE
governors are going to otherwise be very careful not to transmit this
virus.
So, birders who don't appear to be taking this seriously may end up
causing even more restrictions for ALL of us. There is no way that
"birding" can be considered "essential", so TRAVEL to do it is now
ILLEGAL in Maryland. True, that is hard to enforce and you may not get
caught. But, people living around the areas you like to frequent may
very well call the police if they see too many people together, or even
just too frequently see individual "strangers" they know do not live
near them.
Steve Long, Oxford
with an international group of risk assessment professionals who discuss
things like this on an Internet list maintained by one of our national
laboratories, so there is something that I would like everybody to
understand: we actually know very little about how this particular virus
CAN be / IS being transmitted.
Worse, a lot of "wishful thinking" has been published as if it were
scientific conclusions, usually with the (non-)support of statements
like "There is no scientific evidence that people who are not showing
symptoms can infect others." The problem with statements like that is
that there was no scientific evidence to the contrary, either. Worse,
there IS scientific evidence that people can transmit some OTHER viruses
without showing symptoms. So, such "scientific" pronouncements are often
really political propaganda to justify continuing some activity that
somebody (government, corporation, selfish individual) wants to do.
And, now we are seeing many of those pronouncements getting reversed,
because we are learning that they are wrong THE HARD WAY.
So, I urge everybody reading this to please not just grab some unproven
"factoid" and use that as a justification for continuing to do whatever
you want to do. I am seeing people coming from New Jersey, across
Delaware, to walk in the woods near me in Maryland. Others are making
the news by going from New Jersey to Virginia just to play golf. People
who are defying "recommendations" are causing our various governments to
change them to "orders", and many people are continuing to defy those,
as well. My neighbor ended up calling the sheriff to get rid of some NJ
people who came here to play TWICE in 3 days. There is no reason to be
confident that people who are defying "stay at home" orders from THREE
governors are going to otherwise be very careful not to transmit this
virus.
So, birders who don't appear to be taking this seriously may end up
causing even more restrictions for ALL of us. There is no way that
"birding" can be considered "essential", so TRAVEL to do it is now
ILLEGAL in Maryland. True, that is hard to enforce and you may not get
caught. But, people living around the areas you like to frequent may
very well call the police if they see too many people together, or even
just too frequently see individual "strangers" they know do not live
near them.
Steve Long, Oxford
Chas Argent
Apr 6, 2020, 4:51:23 PM4/6/20
to Maryland & DC Birding
"Stay at home" orders or not, people are birding. Just check eBird. One local hotspot, Mount Pleasant Farm, has 9 checklists posted in just the last 4 days.
If you're going on your own, probably the biggest risk you run is either getting into a car accident or somehow injuring yourself and thus requiring first responders. You then endanger them.
~Chas
Reply all
Reply to author
Forward
0 new messages